Jason Thigpen in brief:
• Lifelong roots in North Carolina
• Combat-wounded Veteran and recipient of the Purple Heart Medal
• Started and ran Student Veterans Advocacy Group to support veterans and their families in getting the benefits they earned
• Wife Tiffany is an active duty Marine stationed at Camp Lejeune with 16 years of service
• Family man with four children: three daughters and one son
• Member of Sneads Ferry Presbyterian Church
• Made a decision of conscience in 2013 to switch from Republican to Democratic Party because of the GOP’s extreme views

“Your life flashes in front of you” by Jason Thigpen

They say that your life flashes in front of you when you face a life-threatening situation. But in Iraq when my gun truck was blown up by a roadside bomb and I raced to rescue a fallen comrade, I thought only of my two little girls and how much I loved them.

That’s why, after returning home from Iraq, I decided to run for United States Congress in North Carolina’s 3rd district. However I’m not only concerned about my family’s future; I’m concerned about the future of your family, your children and grandchildren, and about the destiny of our nation.

By now you’ve probably heard about my switch from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party. After a great deal of deliberation, I left the GOP because I refuse to be a member of a political party that is controlled by Tea Party extremists who promote hate, intolerance and divisiveness. Those are not my values, and I know they’re not yours.

Radical right-wing zealots in Raleigh and Washington are trying to keep many of our fellow citizens from experiencing the fruits of liberty. This is not the world I want my daughters to grow up in. I didn’t go to war to defend the liberties and freedoms of any one particular ideology, creed, race, ethnic group or gender. I joined the military and went to Iraq to fight for ALL Americans.

When I get to Washington I will continue that fight. I will work to raise the minimum wage so those who work hard can realize the American Dream. I will support legislation that creates equal pay for women and protects their reproductive rights. I will push for equal rights for all citizens and an end to voter suppression. And I’ll continue to stand up for veterans and their families.

Those are all common-sense ideas that the vast majority of Americans agree on. When I’m elected, I will do everything in my power to make them a reality.